China's enforcement of its 2008 Anti-Monopoly Law (AML) may be in violation of World Trade Organization rules, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said in a Sept. 8 report. Despite the fact that the Anti-Monopoly Law was expressly intended to encourage fair competition in accordance with WTO commitments, the report authors said they found statements to the contrary by Chinese officials regarding how the law would be enforced and found discriminatory treatment toward foreign companies. “Indeed,” the report said, “if China applies the AML in a manner inconsistent with its WTO obligations, this would arguably constitute a violation of WTO law despite being imposed under the guise of competition law.” The US-China Business Council (USCBC) Sept. 3 also issued a report on China's application of the AML, finding that China's AML regime is creating more questions than answers. USCBC President John Frisbie questioned whether the Chinese government is using the AML to force lower prices rather than letting the “market play the decisive role,” something that was stated in China's new economic reform program. “The answers are not fully determined yet, but in at least some cases so far, USCBC sees reasons for concern,” Frisbie said.